Searchlights typically have spatial non-uniformities in the output beam that produce shadows and “donut holes” in the center of the beam (e.g., a round shadow in the center of the illuminated beam). These shadows in the beam are not desired for some projection applications and, as such, it would be beneficial if they were eliminated from the beam. Currently, some searchlights employ reimaging systems to at least partially reduce the shadows in the beam. However, with the use of a reimaging system, there is a large loss in the output of the beam (e.g., a greater than fifty percent (>50%) loss in output illumination).
As such, there is a need for a technique for improving illumination from a searchlight, without incurring a large loss in the output illumination.